8 Tones

Learning the 8 Tones for the Orthodox Church services is no easy or simple task.

However the work in teaching and sharing the traditions of the tone structure of the Orthodox Church is crucial for the proper development and relationship to the church services. What we wish to achieve here is for people interested in learning the tonal system of the Russian Orthodox Church tradition, to make available to them, the music required to memorise.

There are a few ways to learn the tonal structure. Learning the tones orally, instead of relying solely on sheet music all the time, is an easy and quick way to memorise the tones even with little musical experience or knowledge. As long as there is an interest, a musical appreciation and consistent access to church service participation, learning the tones will make the church services spiritually fulfilling.

Once you memorise the tones, you can shape any stichera, troparion/kontakion, prokimen or irmos according to the tradition you have absorbed.